Liesl Eathington, research scientist, was interviewed in a July 22 Hawk Eye story, "Ex-Iowa House speaker sues Census Bureau, saying it won't turn over communications about 'synthetic data.'"
For example, Eathington said she could look at current American Community Survey information to draw conclusions about the lives of people with hearing disabilities in Iowa. She could slice the data to estimate how many members of that group are employed and what their average salary is. She could compare the information to the whole Iowa population, as well as people with hearing disabilities in other states.
She said she won't feel comfortable doing this type of research if the bureau switches to synthetic data.
"They’re pretty much flying blind," she said of the bureau's proposal. "They need to be told, ‘No, that’s too far.' They can’t make that decision on their own. That’s got to happen through Congress, through the states, through the courts."
This story also covered
Des Moines Register, July 24